


Friends?

by nlans



Series: Naia Tabris [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 21:18:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11494950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nlans/pseuds/nlans
Summary: As Naia and Zev grow closer, a lesson in fighting techniques ends with him in her tent. But what does that make them to each other?An E-rated addition to "I Am Yours."





	Friends?

**Author's Note:**

> All right, guys. I wrote this a long time ago but I'm feeling just brave/dumb enough to post it. 
> 
> For those who like more plot with their porn, this is an E addition to "I Am Yours," Chapter 6. Material brought over from "I Am Yours" for context.

They trained in the clearing for several hours that afternoon until the warm sun had faded into dusk, stopping only for a bit of food halfway through. Zevran’s skills were even more useful than Naia had hoped. The Crows taught their pupils to do more than sneak and use poisons—in battle, Zev knew how to find a target’s weak spots and cause maximum damage with the first blow. Naia could think of at least a few opponents she wished she’d finished off a bit more quickly. The scar Vaughan had given her was itching again.

“You are quite good at this. I would suggest you seek out the Crows, but I suspect you have better options for your future employment.” Zevran was grinning as he packed up his poisons. He’d obviously enjoyed the lesson as much as she.

“So. Any more tricks to pass on?” Naia twirled her dagger idly in her right hand.

“Those are the basics of what I know, the things that have helped me most against the Darkspawn. But I do have something else for you.” Zevran pulled a small glass flask from the side of his bag. “As promised. Antivan spirits to replace the whiskey. I found them in a little shop in Denerim, much to my surprise.”

Naia took the bottle and held it up against the dying light. The liquid within was completely clear. “Are you sure? It looks like water.”

Zevran smiled and pulled out the cork. “Try it.”

Naia took a small, experimental sip. Definitely not water. The liquor had a slightly sweet taste, but it burned pleasantly as it slid over her tongue and down her throat. She met Zevran’s eyes and grinned. “All right. It’s better than the whiskey.” She held out the bottle invitingly.

Zevran accepted it and took a sip of his own. He closed his eyes in pleasure, a gesture Naia found oddly charming. It was nice to see Zev content, if even for a moment. “Ah. Now  _this_ reminds me of home. I can almost smell the leatherworks.”

“The leatherworks?” Naia asked, sitting down on a nearby log and taking another sip. They’d have to head back to camp before it was dark, but they could steal another few moments as the sun set.

“The room where I lived, when I was a young assassin with the Crows, was right down the street from a leather maker’s shop. I grew to love the smell.” Zevran sat down beside her and took a longer swig from the bottle.

“Do you think you’ll go back?  _Could_ you go back? It sounds like the Crows more or less run Antiva.”

“To tell the truth I have not thought much beyond the task before us,” Zevran said candidly. “But it would please me to see Antiva City again. There was a wonderful pair of boots that I had my eye on in that shop.”

“If you want boots, I saw some in the Denerim market. They were made from bearskin. Leliana said they looked like ratty blankets tied around a pair of hams.”

Zevran laughed. “I am sure they were appalling. But if you asked, I would wear them, wounds to my pride be damned. I have never said no to a beautiful woman.”

“You must have quite a history with women, then,” Naia teased.

To her surprise, her comment seemed to make Zevran uncomfortable. “Yes, I do have a rather extensive history,” he said after a short pause. “And it has not been restricted to women. Does that offend you?”

“No. Did you think it would?” Naia replied, surprised.

Her companion seemed to relax, ever so slightly. “No, I suppose not.” He took a long drink of the spirits. “The Crows prefer us to be flexible in such matters. Sharing a bed with the right person is often the only way to gain access to protected targets.”

Naia accepted the bottle from him and took a sip. “So you’re saying you left out my seduction training?”

Zevran laughed. “Perhaps I did. But somehow I think the Archdemon is immune to your charms, considerable though they are.”

The comment had been lighthearted, but Naia suddenly felt a rush of terror as the previous night’s dream came back to her.

_The Archdemon swung its head and fixed its gaze on her. Its eyes seemed to burn through her armor and her flesh, seemed to see her right down to the bone. Whatever it saw, it appeared unimpressed. Lazily, almost as if it were bored, it swept a twisted claw at her …_

“I meant to deliver you a compliment, but now you look so unhappy.”

Naia took a sharp, shallow breath, and shook her head as though that could dislodge the image. “No, I—it’s not you. I had a dream about the Archdemon last night.”

“Is that so odd?” Zevran asked, taking the bottle from her. “It must be on your mind a great deal.”

“It was a Grey Warden dream, Zev. It’s different. The Darkspawn can sense us, and we can sense them, especially in our sleep.” She knew she wasn’t explaining this well, but she babbled on. “It saw me. Looked right at me.”

 _And then it killed me,_ she added silently.  _I think I’m going to die. But how can they follow me if they know I won’t survive?_

She brushed aside that thought by reclaiming the bottle from Zev and taking a large swallow. “Oh well. I suppose it would be too easy if I could end the Blight by batting my eyelashes at the Archdemon,” she quipped. “Maybe when this is over, you can finish my training. Who knows what I’ll be fighting next? A few seduction skills might come in handy.”

“To tell you the truth, my Grey Warden, I doubt you would need much in the way of training to entice a target into bed. A woman as stunning as you can usually just ask.”

In spite of her dark mood, Naia felt a laugh burble out. “That’s good advice.”

The words hung in the air between them for a moment as they sat side-by-side. Naia looked down at the spirits, but suddenly, she didn’t want more. She was making a decision and she wanted a clear head for it. This wasn’t the time for love or romance, not with almost-certain death hanging over her head, but Zev wouldn’t want those things anyway. Uncomplicated sex, on the other hand …

“You know, I think I should try it.”

“Hmm?” Zevran replied, looking at her with interest. “Try what?”

“Asking.” Naia set the bottle aside and moved closer to the other elf, sliding her arm behind his back, pressing her side against his. She could smell his scent, a mix of sweat and spice and leather. His eyes met hers, and she smiled slightly to hide a sudden flash of nervousness.

“For example, I might try asking you to join me in my tent. How do you think that would go?”

Zevran laughed softly under his breath. “What an interesting hypothetical. Why, I would say yes, of course. Provided we were planning on the same activity once inside.”

“Which would be …” she prompted, arching an eyebrow.

“It would involve the two of us, and no clothing.” Slowly, he raised his hand and stroked his fingertips across her cheek, gently running his thumb across her lower lip. Naia felt her breath quicken as she met his eyes. “And, I hope, a very long night.”

“Ah,” she said quietly, brushing his thumb with a light kiss. “Interesting.”

“So. Is this merely a philosophical discussion?” he asked, leaning closer. “I hope you are not so cruel.”

For an answer, Naia slid her hand into his hair and pulled his mouth to hers.

After so many weeks of imagining this, Naia had thought she was prepared, that she had some idea of what it would be like. She did not. Zevran’s kiss was warm and coaxing, his breath lightly scented with the Antivan spirits. It filled every fiber of her body with a warm hunger, a desperate need to bring him closer. She closed her eyes and gave in, losing herself to the moment, to the one thing she’d done in all these long months simply because she wanted it.

Some minutes later, Naia shivered as Zevran placed a lingering kiss against her neck, then trailed his lips upwards, his breath warm against her skin.  “Any second thoughts, my Warden?” he whispered against her ear.

“Not unless you’re having them.”

“Hm. No.”

His mouth found hers again and he pulled her close, his fingers finding the ties of her clothing. Naia caught his face between his hands and pulled him with her as she lay down on the ground, biting back a whimper as his weight settled on top of her.  _Want_ and  _need_ were the only things she could feel.

 _We’re not going to make it to my tent,_ she thought as the kiss resumed.

A snapping twig caught their attention.

Both elves instinctively reached for their weapons, then froze as they realized who had snapped the twig. Leliana and Duncan stood in their little clearing. Both of them looked rather startled.

Duncan panted happily and barked when he realized the person underneath Zevran was his mistress. Naia felt her cheeks flood red. “We, I, uh …”

“Oh dear,” said Leliana suddenly, her eyes snapping away from the two elves to stare into the distance. “I seem to have gone quite blind, and perhaps deaf as well. I see nothing at all in this clearing. How upsetting. Perhaps I ought to consult Wynne. Come, Duncan.”

And with that, the Orlesian turned on her heel and walked back towards camp.

Duncan remained where he was. “Go on, boy,” hissed Naia. Duncan panted once, then leapt up and followed Leliana.

Naia turned her attention back to Zevran, who was still lying on top of her, although he’d moved his hand to a less scandalous location. He chuckled as she met his eyes. “I fear we may have scandalized our dear Leliana,” he said, tracing one finger around the outline of her ear.

Naia laughed. “You’d be surprised. Leliana doesn’t scandalize easily.”

With a playful grin, she flipped their positions, pushing Zev onto his back, and brushed his mouth with a kiss. “I’m going back to my tent,” she whispered. “Wait a few minutes and then follow. I’m not risking any more interruptions.”

Zevran’s breath tickled her ear as he answered back. “I am yours to command, my Warden.”

 

* * *

 

When Naia returned to her tent, she sat very still for a few moments, expecting Zevran to join her shortly, unable to think about anything else except his hands and mouth and his body against hers.

When the flap of her tent failed to move, she forced herself to do _something_ so she wouldn’t just be staring and waiting for him when he got there. She put away her weapons, then stripped off her armor and unlaced her boots, leaving her in just a tunic and leggings; when he still wasn’t there, she used the small basin in her tent to was her face and neck and hands. The lukewarm water felt surprisingly refreshing—and she shivered when the cloth passed a spot on her neck where Zevran’s kiss had left a small mark.

Finally, as Naia was running a comb through her hair, the tent flap opened. Zevran’s movements were absolutely silent as he crawled inside and tied the tent flap shut.

“I apologize for being slow,” he murmured. “Morrigan was standing watch. I wanted to wait for her to be distracted.”

Naia raised her hand and brushed her fingers through his hair, feeling them slide against the strands. “No apology necessary,” she said softly. “As long as you made it here in the end, that is.”

Zevran’s chuckle sent a shivering vibration through her fingertips. “Did you really think I would miss this opportunity, my Warden?”

Naia paused just before her mouth found his. “I really hoped not.”

The kiss was slow and gentle at first—but only at first. Naia was still aching from their interrupted interlude in the nearby clearing, and before she could tell herself to slow down and not act like an overeager teenager, her hands were peeling Zevran’s shirt from his back. Zev pulled away and met her eyes, then slowly slid his own fingers underneath her tunic. He watched her face as his hand traced the curve of her waist, his palm and fingers hot against her skin. Naia’s breath quickened in her chest as she reached down to pull the tunic away.

They shed their clothes eagerly, trading between undressing each other and stripping off their own garments. Naia had seen most of Zev before—he wasn’t exactly shy—but even so, the sight of him undressing made her tongue cleave to the roof of her mouth. _Maker_ , he was stunning—the tattoos and the scars and all that lithe, deadly muscle.

Zev, damn him, caught her ogling. “You said I was welcome to stare at you, so long as I did not mind you looking back. I see you meant it,” he teased.

Naia laughed a bit sheepishly. “In my defense, you’re absolutely gorgeous naked, and almost anyone would stare at least a little.”

He seemed almost startled by her words—as if compliments were usually something he gave, not received. But the surprise on his face faded quickly, replaced with that familiar seductive half-smile. “I might say the same of you, my Warden,” he whispered, his eyes hungry as they ran down her body. “As I suspected, you are even more exquisite without your clothes on.”

Naia leaned forward and brushed her mouth eagerly against his. Zev’s arms slid around her back and he pulled her to her knees, drawing her body close. The feeling of his bare skin against hers send a rush of heat between Naia’s legs; she felt her nipples tighten as they brushed his chest. Zev’s hands ran down her spine and over the curve of her ass as he shifted his kiss to her throat, gently teasing the sensitive places under her jaw. Naia closed her eyes and leaned back, pulling him with her, her breath catching as his weight settled on top of her.

Zevran moved between her legs and slid his hands under her knees, bending them, spreading her legs and exposing her to his gaze. He ran his eyes back up her body, as if trying to memorize the sight. When his eyes reached her face, his gaze locked on hers—and then Naia felt his fingers between her legs, sliding between her folds and finding her aroused and wet. She whimpered and arched her back as he slid a finger inside her, then clutched the blankets underneath her as a second finger joined the first.

“Good?” Zev murmured, stroking inside her.

“Good,” she gasped, feeling a knot of tension and arousal collecting in her belly and groin. His fingers were brushing right across that bright knot, bringing her close, triggering so much pleasure that it was almost physically painful. She tensed, holding it back, not wanting to come too quickly, wanting that aching anticipation to last as long as possible. She closed her eyes and turned her head, unable to look at him—suddenly the sight of him naked between her legs was far, far too much.

His fingers slid away and she whined in protest. The whine turned to a soft shriek when she felt his tongue trace its way between her legs. Naia clapped her right hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds that threatened to escape as he licked and teased; she felt herself growing almost embarrassingly wet as his tongue danced over her, eager and coaxing and attentive. The knot inside her grew sharper and brighter until Naia couldn’t hold herself back any longer; she shattered beneath his touch, her muscles trembling and her head thrown back. Her hips bucked involuntarily and she tossed her head from side to side as he continued to lick her, coaxing even more sensation from her as she quaked.

“Ah, my sweet,” he murmured, pulling his mouth away once she was still. He pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee, then met her eyes. “Do you want me?” he whispered.

“ _Want_ you? Maker, Zev,” Naia said, laughing and more than a little out of breath. “Do you really need to ask?”

His eyes were hot and liquid on hers. “Perhaps I should rephrase,” he murmured. “Do you want me inside you now? Or should we play a bit more first?”

Naia sat up and slid a hand into his hair, pulling him in for a kiss. She reached a hand down to his cock and stroked him slowly, feeling him shake in response when she brushed her fingers over that sensitive spot under the head.

“I’d like to know what you want,” she said quietly. “When you’ve imagined us doing this, what do we do?” She felt her mouth curve in a wicked smile. “And don’t bother denying that you’ve imagined it.” _I have._

Zevran laughed, incredulous and carefree all at once. “I have imagined a great _many_ things, my Warden.” He brought his mouth next to her ear. “Sometimes I imagine you on top, riding me. Sometimes you are underneath me, begging me to take you harder.”

Naia moistened her lips and caught her breath, feeling her chest and neck flush, that bright knot beginning to collect again as he spoke.

Zevran chuckled, apparently sensing how aroused she was. “Shall I continue? Of late, I have been imagining you sneaking into my tent and taking me into your mouth.”

Impulsively, she slid down and dipped her head into his lap.

“ _Ah!_ Rather like that, yes,” he groaned, stroking his fingers through her hair.

This had been something her other partners usually asked for, but unlike the impatient boys Naia had been with in the alienage, Zev didn’t try to grab her head or push himself more deeply into her mouth; he simply _enjoyed,_ encouraging her with quiet noises of pleasure and the occasional direction. Every gasp and catch of his breath sent flickers of lust through Naia and she took in as much of him as she could, sucking gently, feeling him grow harder against her tongue.

“S-stop,” he gasped after a few minutes of this. “Ah, _Naia._ ”

“What do you want?” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his stomach, trailing her mouth up his chest.

Zevran slid a hand underneath her chin and bent his head to kiss her. It began gently, but when Naia whimpered, Zev growled in response and pulled her tight against him. She grinned against his mouth as she pushed him onto his back. In one smooth motion, she pulled away and straddled him, settling herself against the length of his erection, hissing in pleasure when she felt his cock twitch in response.

“Now?” she gasped.

“Now. Yes.” Zev’s hands found her hips.

Slowly, Naia lifted up and reached between them, wrapping her hand around his cock and guiding it to her entrance. She lowered herself onto him almost reverently, taking this slow, loving the feeling of him sliding into her after so many months of wanting this.

Zev gasped when she arched her back and finally took in all of him, his hips rocking beneath hers. Naia leaned forward to kiss him, letting the tips of her breasts brush his chest, smiling when she saw his eyes light at the view.

When her mouth found his, Zevran slid his hands up her spine, pulled her close, and flipped their bodies, pushing deep inside her as he settled on top of her. Naia caught her breath and closed her eyes as he stroked inside her. _Maker. This is even better than I imagined._

Zev pressed his mouth to her cheek, then to the side of her throat, then against her ear. “Good?” he murmured, slowing his pace, stroking inside her almost languidly.

Naia couldn’t help letting out a puff of helpless laughter. “Yes, _good._ I thought the heavy breathing gave it away.”

He tugged her earlobe gently with his teeth. “Ah, but you see, I am rather insecure when it comes to my skills as a lover.”

That actually set Naia off into a fit of giggling. “I think that might be the most ridiculous lie you’ve ever told me. You just want me to stroke your ego.”

Zevran chuckled with her, his chest rumbling appealingly against hers. “You know me too well, my Warden. But can you blame me for wanting my ego stroked by such a beautiful woman?”

 _Talk. He likes talk,_ Naia realized belatedly.

“You don’t need to have your ego stroked,” she murmured. “You don’t need me to tell you how much I’ve wanted this, or— _ah! Right_ there,” she gasped as Zev shifted higher, entered her harder and faster than before. “ _Maker_ , you feel good.”

Zev groaned; she felt a slight shudder run through his body. “Tell me what you want,” he said, his voice hot and demanding.

“I want _this_ ,” she gasped, rocking her hips up to meet him.

“Do you, now?” He slowed again just as Naia thought she might go over the edge, pulled out almost completely, slid back into her as she fought for breath.

“Don’t _tease_ ,” she begged. “I’m so _close,_ Zev.”

He nipped her earlobe again. “What would you like me to do about that?”

“ _Fuck_ me.” Naia was almost shaking. “I want to feel you come inside me.”

Zev let out a pleased noise, half chuckle, half moan. “If you insist.”

Naia choked back a cry as he answered her request, taking her hard, his hands digging into her hips as he entered her, holding her just where he wanted her. The tension finally unspooled; Naia actually bit down on her lip as she came. A few moments later she felt Zev tense above her; his next thrust moved even deeper inside her and she felt him spend himself, heard him moan with release.

“Maker, Zev,” she gasped as he settled into the blankets beside her. She cringed at the sound of her voice, breathless and awestruck as a virgin’s.  _Stop that! You’re a Grey Warden, not some lovesick teenager._

She forced herself to regain control, and when she felt more confident, she turned on her side and smiled at the other elf. “I see your boasting wasn’t entirely empty,” she teased.  _There. That’s better._

Zevran smiled back. “Neither was yours, my Warden.” He winked at her. “So I am especially glad I did not disappoint.”

Blissfully sated, still riding the wave of physical pleasure, Naia rolled on her back and tucked her hands underneath her head, smiling a smug little grin up at her tent. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in—Maker, she couldn’t remember  _ever_ feeling this relaxed.

She felt Zevran shift at her side, sitting up in the dark, and she looked over at him. He was still watching her, but his smile had been replaced by a thoughtful expression, and an odd little line between his eyebrows.

She blinked. “What?”

“Hm?”

“You’re thinking about something.”

“Thinking? Me? My dear Warden,” Zevran said archly. “You have entirely mistaken my character. I am wounded.”

“Don’t give me that, Zev,” she said wryly. “Out with it.”

His mouth opened, but for a moment he did not speak. “I suppose I am wondering something. As the priestess once said to the handsome actor: What now?”

Naia raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what now? What are we to each other?”

Naia had to stop her mouth from dropping open in surprise. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” she lied, sitting up to look at him and pulling the blankets to her chest in a very belated fit of modesty.  _Does he think I’m going to expect flowers and poetry now that I’ve bedded him?_

Her mind whirred as she tried to come up with a response. “Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

She couldn’t entirely interpret Zev’s expression, but when he spoke, he did not sound unhappy. “Yes, I would say that we are.”

“Then why should this change anything? Who’s to say friends can’t occasionally help each other relieve some tension?”

The assassin laughed under his breath. “Who, indeed?”

He fell quiet. Naia wondered if he was waiting for her to say something more, but she had no idea what. She felt as though she had accidentally stepped onto uneven ground and she wasn’t sure how to regain her footing.

Finally Zevran broke the silence. “I will not ask more of you than you want to give, Naia. If you wish this to be a single night, never repeated, simply say the word. But, if you should need to … relieve tension again, I would be most happy to offer my services.”

The nervous little knot in Naia’s stomach unwound itself.  _That’s the Zevran I know._ “Careful what you promise, Zev. I’m trying to stop a Blight. I think I’m going to have a lot of tension to relieve in the next few weeks,” she said matter-of-factly.

She saw a flash of white teeth in the dark as Zevran smiled. “Is that so?”

He shifted his body, leaning forward to brush her lips with a light, seductive kiss. “I hope you will not think me selfish if I say I am glad to hear it,” he whispered against her mouth.


End file.
